Dr. Lorna Busch, PhD

Your healing is sacred path and is not a solo endeavor. A trusting therapeutic relationship provides a safe space to face and be freed from painful or shameful parts of your being. This vulnerability takes courage and involves addressing buried emotional wounds, unveiling entrenched patterns, and living in alignment with core values and your soul’s purpose. Getting at the root cause is the goal, rather than mere symptom relief. 

I personalize treatment using a variety of models aimed at resolving underlying issues for lasting change and primarily work with clients seeking ketamine-assisted psychotherapy to connect with the depths of their essence or those who are adjusting to a spiritually awakening. I approach each client with acceptance, compassion, and curiosity, while incorporating elements of internal family systems (IFS), attachment (psychodynamic) theories, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Existential therapies and contemplative practices are incorporated as appropriate for those working on spiritual growth, grief, or end-of-life issues. 

The healing journey is not limited to focusing on thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Trauma is stored in the body, which expresses what the mind suppresses. Living in a state of neurological hyperarousal or fear inhibits our innate ability to rebalance. Breathwork, movement, creative expression, meditation, mindfulness, and communing with nature can serve as grounding techniques that release tension and soothe the nervous system. Additionally, trauma often leads to heightened spiritual awareness that can open a path of deep self-discovery beyond the storylines of our identity. Some people are surprised to discover the embodied sense of who they are.

My quest to understand mental health from a larger cultural and transpersonal framework led to becoming trained as a psychedelic assisted psychotherapist and to delve into my own personal healing journey. This included the opportunity to observe and receive treatments at a Spritist Hospital and Center in Brazil, experience shamanic healing in Mexico, and become trained in Quantum Healing Hypnosis. 

Recognizing the medicalization of death in our culture, I am passionate about helping those preparing for their transition, as well as those in deep grief. I partner with death doulas and hospice professionals to offer specialized support for those at end-of-life, to include retreat-style therapeutic experiences and/or expanded states that can provide a newfound sense of peace and openness to the unknown ahead.  

Having expanded my training in psychedelic medicines (e.g., via Fluence, PRATI, Skylight Psychedelics, Journey Clinical), I provide preparation and integration sessions for those choosing to engage with these medicines. Adequate emotional and logistical preparation, as well as deep ongoing integration is critical to gaining the most from these often ineffable experiences. 

I am passionate about the dynamic field of psychology, have published research on the mind-body connection and plant medicine, and taught undergraduate and graduate courses. My clinical experience spans various outpatient and inpatient settings, to include a community mental health center, college counseling center, and hospital psychiatry department. I am humbled my people's courage in facing their struggles and honored to witness their healing. 

When I'm not immersed in my practice or the health and spiritual literature, I am building community and savoring life with my husband and adult children. We enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, gardening, the Finger Lakes culinary scene, coffees by the lake, and fires under the stars. I also cherish deep conversation and connection with my sisterhood of dear friends. I have learned over the years that tending to mind, body, and spirit cannot be neglected and have since established daily meditative, embodied, and earth-based practices. 

Read more on my profiles in Psychology Today and Integrative Mental Health University 

I anticipate openings for new clients in fall 2025 for those ready to commit to the journey of deep healing.

Credentials

• BA, Psychology, SUNY Buffalo, NY

• MS, Applied Psychology, University of Baltimore, MD

• PhD & MEd, Counseling Psychology, University of Louisville, KY

• Certified Spiritual Emergence Coach, Integrative Mental Health University, VT

• Certificate of Ketamine and Psychedelic Medicine Training, Psychedelic Research and Treatment Institute (PRATI), CO

• License # 023952-01

 "Nothing ever goes away until it has tought us what we need to know."

Pema Chödrön